Method of storing gases or liquids



formed brine.

United States Patent Re. 24,313 Reissued May 14, 1957 METHOD OF STORINGGASES OR LIQUIDS Reginald L. Pattinson, Aylmer, Ontario, Canada,assignor, by mesne assignments, to Sid W. Richardson, Fort Worth, Tex.

No Drawing. Original No. 2,590,066, dated March 18, 1952, Serial No.602,411, June 29, 1945. Application for reissue June 3, 1954, Serial No.434,355. In Cannda June 30, 1944 6 Claims. (Cl. 61-.5)

Matter enclosed in heavy brackets appears in the original patent butforms no part of this reissue specification; matter printed in italicsindicates the additions made by reissue.

This invention relates to the storage of gases or liquids.

The difficulties relative to the provision of storage facilities fornatural or manufactured gas for heating purposes are well recognized andhave resulted in the curtailment of the use of such gas for heatingpurposes. Steel gas holders have been used for storage of manufacturedgas but their cost has rendered impracticable the provision of such gasfor heating purposes. The facilities for supplying gas for heating arelargely unused during the summer and, to some extent, during the lowheating periods of each day in the winter. Consequently, gas supplyingfirms who provide adequate facilities to take care of the peak heatingload at all times find it difiicult to supply gas at a suitably low costto the consumer and yet receive a reasonable return on their inventmeut.The result has been that inadequate facilities are frequently providedto take care of peak loads. This shortage of gas is of course highlyinconvenient to the consumer and sometimes constitutes a hazard.

It has been proposed to provide a storage of gas to take care of thepeak heating load by pumping the produced gas into depleted or partlydepleted gas fields. Very few of these fields are, however, availableand their relief of the situation is infinitesimal. Moreover, gas storedin such fields is normally discharged from them much more slowly than isrequired.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of storinggases or liquids in a substantially impervious underground chamber. Aspecific object of the invention is to provide a method of storing gasin an impervious underground chamber under superatmospheric pressure.

Other objects, details and advantages will become apparent as thedescription of the invention proceeds.

Rock salt exists beneath the surface of the earth in varying thicknessesand at various depths. The commercial recovery of salt from such saltbeds has long been practiced by sinking a tube or casing down into thebed, supplying water to the bed through such tube to dissolve a portionof the salt, and pumping out the so A cavity of considerable extent isthus produced in the bed. Since the walls of such cavity are composed ofsolid salt, they are substantially impervious.

In accordance with the invention, natural or manufactured gas, as it isproduced, is fed into a preformed cavity in a salt bed and maintainedtherein under any desired pressure for release to users of the gas. Theformation of the cavity is a self-liquidating expense through recoveryof the salt and there is substantially no maintenance expense as nowrequired in the provision and maintenance of metal and like storagefacilities. The danger from fire and explosion is practically eliminatedand in the case of hydrocarbon liquids loss through evaporation isavoided. Gas so stored may be delivered to users at faster and moreuniform rates than under present arrangements for natural gas, andWithout heating or other treatment of the gas. This overcomes one of themajor dilficulties in the use of natural gas.

The gas from a natural gas Well or from a gas manufacturing plant ispumped into such underground cavities, located at desired or convenientpoints for storage and distribution and maintained under desiredpressure having regard to distribution requirements. Its release fordistribution is controlled by any suitable pressure regulating means.

While the invention has particular reference to the storage of heatinggas, it will be understood that oil and other liquids, which do notdissolve the salt, may also be stored in the chambers described.

=What is claimed is:

l. A method of storing fluids which comprises feeding the fluid to bestored into a preformed substantially impervious cavity in a naturalrock salt bed beneath the surface of the earth formed by dissolving thesalt with water and removing the so formed brine, said fluid being ofsuch nature that it is substantially unaffected by the salt forming thewalls of the cavit 2. A method of storing gas for heating purposes whichcomprises pumping the gas to be stored under pressure into a preformedsubstantially impervious cavity in a natural salt bed beneath thesurface of the ear, said cavity being formed by dissolving the salt withwater and removing the so formed brine.

3. A method of storing natural or manufactured gas for heating purposeswhich comprises pumping the gas to be stored under pressure into apreformed substantially impervious cavity in a natural rock salt bedbeneath the surface of the earth, said cavity being formed by dissolvingthe salt with water and removing the so formed brine, and maintainingthe stored gas in the cavity under superatmospheric pressure.

4. The method of storing hydrocarbon fluids which comprises feeding thehydrocarbon fluid to be stored into a preformed substantially imperviouscavity in a natural rock salt bed beneath the surface of the earth, saidcavity being formed by dissolving the salt with water and removing theso formed brine, and said hydrocarbon fluid being of such nature that itis substantially unatfected by the salt forming the walls of the cavity.

5. A method which comprises (1) introducing fluid to be stored into apreformed substantially impervious subterranean cavity in a natural rocksalt bed formed by dissolving the salt with water and removing the soformed brine, and (2) maintaining the fluid in the cavity undersuperatmospheric pressure, said fluid being of such nature that it issubstantially unaffected by the salt form.- ing the walls of the cavity.

6. A method as set forth in claim 5, wherein a hydrocarbon fluz'd isstored in the subterranean cavity.

References Cited in the file of this patent or the original patentUNITED STATES PATENTS 1,960,932 Tracy May 29, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS298,459 Germany of 1919 OTHER REFERENCES Publication: Proceedings of30th Annual Meeting, American Institute of Refrigeration, May 12-13,1941, Press of Ice and Refrigeration, Nickerson and Collins Co.,Chicago, pages 164 and 165.

